Year Walk
by Golden Machine
Summary: He can save her, but to do so he must face a set of puzzles and trials that have cost men their sanity and life. "We'll see you soon, year walker."-AU. Ichihime.


_i._ It was cold, bitterly so. Ichigo moved his scarf further over his face to keep what little warmth he had left. His fingers ached with numbness. He flexed them briefly before shoving them back down into the depths of his coat pockets. The sky overhead was breathtakingly blue. He wondered if it would snow soon.

_ii. _ A small smile crept along his icy lips.  
><em>"This is it,"<em> he thought, and in fact it was.  
>This was the day that would start everything.<p>

_iii._ She loved the winter, and he knew that. Yes, she loved the other seasons too, but winter was her favorite.  
>Well one of her favorites, because according to her, she had four. The way she smiled when it snowed, however; the way her face lit up and shone like the snowflakes themselves, made winter his favorite season.<br>His only favorite.

_iv._ He was close.  
>The anticipation coiled in his stomach. It made him sweat. It made his mouth dry. He shuddered, but it was because of the cold. There wasn't any reason to be this scared. Of course, he was anyway. Just another block or so, and was sure he would see her.<br>His fingers fumbled around in pocket, toying with the slender, icy metal band that bit into his already frozen appendages.  
>This was it. He couldn't be any happier if he tried.<p>

_v._ He saw her and his body began to shake, because of the cold of course. He wasn't nervous. No.  
>There was no reason to be. He was happy. Overwhelmingly so. Her frame was so slight, he still worried about her being blown away by a gust of wind. She never did. He worried anyway. She gave a small smile as she moved her grown-out bangs out of her face.<br>His heart pounded in his ears.

_vi. _ One more street to cross. One more crosswalk. He picked up his pace, eager to meet her, to close the distance to her first. The metal in his hand seemed so heavy for something so slight. It weighed him down. His legs carried it all and some.  
>It was all going to change, forever.<p>

_vii. _ He neared the corner. He heard a loud thunk behind him. He turned to look.  
>No one was behind him, however there was a small box. It wasn't there before, he was sure. Very sure.<br>It drew him in however. He kneeled and picked it up, rotated it in his hand. A small box. It was old and brittle. It wasn't cold, however, and that was intriging. He looked around once more, hoping to find who it belonged to, but there was no one to be seen. Except Orihime.  
>He whipped his head back around to see her on the corner. The crosswalk sign flashed do not walk. He stood, feeling guiltly he wasn't already across the street to meet her. The sign turned green.<p>

_viii. _ She was curious as well. She saw the box drop clear out of the sky. It made no sense to her. She thought she imagined it. She didn't. There it was in his hand. The crosswalk sign turned green and she made her way across, but something felt strange.  
>Something tugged at her to turn around. To look behind her. Just for a second, and so she did. There was nothing there. Nothing she could see, but none the less she was stopped in the street.<br>The street that housed a hydrant burst from the cold just down the block. The street was glazed over ever so slightly with an icy sheen that made no difference to her winter boots. Tires on the other hand held no traction.  
>No chance of stopping immediately, even if the driver prayed to God as he pumped the brakes.<p>

_ix. _ She was beautiful. Ichigo smiled at her as he watched her cross the street. Wind kicked up and rustled his hair. She turned around as the breeze met her, he watched. For just a brief moment, she turned. He willed her to turn back around, but she didn't. He began to jog towards her, anxious, impatient. For a split second, he heard a voice. A voice in his head that he hadn't heard before. It scratched and rasped at him. A mix of three distinct tones. He stopped dead in his tracks, but the car in front of him didn't. Couldn't. The man inside screaming and flailing about inside.  
>Ichigo yelled at her.<br>She spun of her toes to face him.  
>The car spun on its tires to meet her.<br>He already knew. Blood poured from her and onto the icy pavement. Her back so perfectly arched into an inhuman angle. When she finally hit pavement, nothing about her moved. She was as frozen as the road. Her wide eyes were dull. They didn't even have time to shed a tear. The sky did, however.  
>The years first snow.<p>

_x. _ _"We'll see you soon, year walker."_

* * *

><p><em>AN_

_So this is something new and something horror. I am really happy about this._

_Based off of the tradition and the game, Year Walk. _


End file.
